Local Gungahlin photographer and videographer, Michelle from Another Happy Customer – Photography for Cool People is heading up a production team heading to the Ukraine to take part in ‘Operation X-Orphan’.
This project is to develop a short film to promote the charitable work of US Surgeons who operate on Ukrainian orphans to offer them a healthy and purposeful life. The hope that through these surgeries they will also give them a greater chance of hopefully finding love and acceptance in a forever family.
Please read on to understand how you can help.
The location of the production will be in Crimea, Ukraine. Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe, with Crimea being a peninsula at its southern border, adjacent to the Black Sea.
Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the Republics of Ukraine and Crimea have been strained economically, especially the health services. Hospital staff may find themselves at times working in exchange for food that the hospital kitchen can provide. There is often little budget left over to purchase even the most basic medical supplies.
Children with diabetes, congenital birth defects, and post-traumatic deformities are many, and most receive at best marginal care and attention. The orphans of Crimea are often neglected, or will receive just enough medical care to sustain life.
The Republic Children’s Hospital, based in Simferopol, is the major paediatric facility in Crimea. The hospital contains some 400 beds, many of which are occupied by seriously ill children for months, even years. In some cases, this has been the only home for these orphans, as the orphanages do not have the resources to cater to their medical needs. Sadly, some of these children never leave the hospital grounds…
Each year a team of US Medical Specialists travel to Ukraine to heal these children, donate medical equipment, & train the local medical staff with new techniques. Their involvement in the treatment & care of these forgotten children has led to many orphans being able to live healthy lives, and even more so, be adopted by their forever family.
Their ambition is to create a short film to show the world the challenges faced by these orphans, and the positive impact the work of the US Surgeons have on their future. You will leave with an understanding that everyone has an opportunity to make a difference, regardless of culture, skill or distance.
Michelle being the charitable person she is, will be generously donating her time and skills for this project. Earlier this year Michelle donated her time and skill to capture my skydiving efforts when I was raising money for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundations Jump To Cure Diabetes.
All up Michelle is expecting to be working on this project for Operation X-Orphan for 6-8 weeks. Along with two other members for the production crew travel expenses are expected to be around $12,000. As such a fundraiser has been kicked off to help raise this money. The fundraising objective is to cover their travel expenses only for the production crew. This includes flights, excess luggage (film-makers carry a lot of stuff!) and accommodation.
This is where you can help. A donation to this cause would be greatly appreciated. No donation is insignificant – every dollar is appreciated. If you are not in a position to pledge, please spread the word about Operation X-Orphan through your friends and family. Please see the links below for the fundraiser and the Facebook page to follow and share this incredible story.
Michelle spoke to us about this and asked us to help by sharing the story, “I’m only asking you because I am a local Gungahlin resident trying to do something extraordinary and inspiring to help others and I know that I would back that if it were somebody else in my community.” She went onto explain about donations. “Honestly, even pledges of $1 are appreciated as it not only gets me closer to my goal, but also gets more people engaged with the project.”
From Gungahlin to the Ukraine, we can help make a difference. If each of our Facebook followers pledged $1.80 each Michelle will achieve the balance of her goal.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/301921890/operation-x-orphan-healing-the-orphans-of-ukraine
https://www.facebook.com/OperationXOrphan
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